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P. E. ENNIS.

TABLE TOP CONSTRUCTION FOR TABLE BEDS.

APPucATmN m50 M013, 1915.

Lwjm. PatentedAug. 22,1916.

TMI a SHEETS-SHEET 1.

P. E. ENNIS. TABLE TOP CONSTRUCTION FOR TABLE BEDS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 13, l9l5.

Patented Aug. ,22, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

PPLICATI www@ P. E. ENNIS.

TABLE TOP CONSTRUCTION FOR TABLE BEDS.

0N FILED DE Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

mman srarns `raarjnnr ernten.

PARRY E. ENNIS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED TABLE BED COMPANY,

INCORPORATED, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

TABLE-TOP CONSTRUCTION FOB, TABLE-BEDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 22, 1916.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, PARRY E. ENNIs, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Chicago, Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Table-Top Construction for Table- Beds, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to table beds of that kind in which the table body has a movable top and a movable front wall or panel, whereby both the top and the front of the said body can Vbe opened to permit unfolding of the bed frame, the latter when folded being entirely within the lupper portion of the table body, and being at such time fully concealed by the closure of the top and front panel.

One object of my invention is to provide an improved construction and arrangement for preventing breakage of the means for holding the lower edge of the said panel in closed position, and for spacing apart the front ends of the end walls of the table body. v

Another object is to provide an improved construction and arrangement for shiftingly connecting the table top with the rear portion of the table body, and for holding the said table top in upright position behind the table body, thereby to form the head of the bed when the bed frame is unfolded from the table body.

It is also an object to provide certain details and features of construction tending to increase the general efliciency and vdesirability of the' table of this particular character.

To the foregoing and other useful ends, my invention consists in matters hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a transverse section of the table bed embodying the principles of my invention, showing the folded bed frame in dotted lines, and also showing the raised position of the table top and r'front Apanel in dotted lines. Fig.V 2 is an enlarged detail section on line 2-2 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a similar section on line 3*-3 in Fig. 1. Fig. 4L is a section on line 4 1 in Fig. 1, showing the middle portion of the structure broken away for convenienceA of'illustration. Fig. 5 is a section on line 5--5 in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a perspective of one of the rear corner portions of the table body, and of a portion of the tabletop and front panel, showing the construction and arrangement of the links which shiftingly connect thetable top with the table body, and illustrating the said table topl and the front panel in raised position. Fig. 7 is a perspective of one of the front corner portions of the table body, illustrating the Vmeans on the front panel forengaging the front end of the end wall of the table body, thereby to space the two end walls apart, and serving also to properly alineA and prevent breakage of the devices by which the lower edge of the panel is held in closed position. Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail section on line 8 8 in Fig. 1.

As thusfillustrated,;my invention comprises a table body A provided with fixed corner legs a, fixed rear wall 1 and liXed end walls 2, said walls being supported a suitable distance from the floor. The table top B is rigidly constructed from f one edge thereof to the other, andis provided on its under surface with parallel cleats o, these cleats being preferably short lengths of angle iron'disposed in position to .come close to the end walls 2 when the top is closed.

Straps 3 are secured to the inner surface of the end walls 2, at points near the rear wall l and near the upper edges of said end walls. At each end of the table body a straight link C has one end pivoted at t to the outer surface of the adjacent cleat o, and has 'its other end pivoted at 5 to the strap 3, in

the manner shown more clearly in Fig. 6;

and with each link C is associated a bent or Acrooked link D which has one end pivoted 'atV 6 to the inner surface of the adjacent -cleat oV and which has its other end pivoted at 7 to the strap 3, the said pivot 7 being disposed in the same horizontal plane as the pivot 5 but at a point between the latter and the rear wall l1 of the table body. The Vlink D is, it will be'seen, provided with a bend Ior elbow 8,A which latter constitutes a deflection of this link edgewise, so to speak, in the plane'thereof, and with a bend 9 by which'the adjacent end of the link is deflected out Aof said plane and toward the strap 3, whereby the two links donot interfere with each other during the opening and closing of the table top. The links D rest upon the upper edge ofthe table body when the top is open, as shown in Fig. 6, thereby supporting the table top in'upright position behind the table body, and the link C serves at this time as a brace to prevent the table top from tilting forward. The pivots 6, it will be seen, are such a distance from the rear edge of the top VB that a considerable portionof the table top which covers the space in the bodyV is below the upper edge of the back wall l when the top is in raised position. At this time, the elbow 8 overlaps the link C, as shown in Fig. G, and as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l, thereby preventing conflict between the two links. The ends of the links which are held by the pivots 5 and 7 are in the same vertical plane, but

by reason of the bend 9 the other end portions of the two links are disposed in separate vertical planes. lVhen the table top is closed, as shown in Fig. 1, all of said links assume substantially a horizontal position, the straight portions of the links D overlapping the adjacent end portions of the links C at this time.

The front panel E is like the rear wall 1, except that it is hinged at e to the under surface of the top B and is movable with Y the latter.` Shoulders 10 are formed at the Vfront of'the table, at each end thereof, and theflower edge of the panel E is provided with pins l1 which engage sockets or holes in said shoulders, in amanner that will be readily understood, whereby the lower edge of said panel is held in closedposition. In order to properly aline the said pins 1l and the socketsor holes in the shoulders 10, during the final closing movement of the panel, cleats F ai'e secured to the inner surface of said panel E, as shown more clearly in Figs. 2, a, 5 and 7, each cleat being beveled at f to enable them to wedge in between the front ends of the two end walls 2 when the Vtable is closed, thus insuringproper alinement of the said devices by which the lower edge of the panel is held in closed position. Also, it will be seen, the upper ends of these cleats E are beveled `at 12 to permit said y panel to hang down in the manner shown breakage.

F romfthe foregoing, it will be seen that by my invention the table top construction of a'table bed of this particular character is very substantially improved and rendered more satisfactory in use, inasmuch as the swinging top can be opened and closed very freely in the desired manner, with less effort than would be ythe case with ordinary hinges or swinging connections, and because the final adjustment of the front panel in closed position is rendered more certain, and for the further reason that breakageis not as liable to occur while the table bed is being handled in closed condition.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. In a table-bed of the class described, in which the folding bed frame folds into and out of the table body, a movable top for said body, elements for connecting the top with said body, a panel carried on said top to open and close the front of said body, devices including elements disposed in alineinent at opposite sides of the bed to hold the lower edge of said panel in closed position on the body, means to insure alinement of said devices during the final adjustment of said panel in closed position, and to prevent breakage'of said devices and reduce strain on said elements while the table-bediis being handled or transported in closed condition,

said means being mounted on the panel to engage the body.

2. In a table-bed of the class described, in which the folding bedframe folds into and out of the table body, a movable top for said body, end walls forming part of said body, cleats secured to the under side of said top, said cleats being immediately inside of said end walls when the top is down, links separately pivoted close together with their'ends 'in the same vertical plane on each end wall, with the pivots for the short links disposed in rear of the pivots for the long links, the other ends of said links being pivoted farther apart at opposite sides of each cleat, thereby to support the top upright ybehind the body, and sol that each cleat is between two links when the top is closed, the links inside of said cleats being relatively short and the links' outside being relatively long, all of said links being horizontally disposed when the top is closed, and the short links being formed with laterally displaced elbows to avoid interference with the long links during the openingand closing of thetop, each elbow overlapping a long link when the top is open.

3. 1n' a table-bed of the class described, ii'i which the folding bed frame folds into and out of the table body, a swinging top for said body, a front panel hinged on said top, means to support the top in raised position, end walls for said body, and cleats secured on the inner surface of said panel in position to engage said end walls and extend vertibody, said cleats being inclosed between the top and panel When the top is in raised position.

4c. In a table-bed of the class described, in Which the folding bed frame folds into and out of the table body, a movable top for said body, cleats on the lower surface of said top, a short link pivoted on each cleat, a long link pivoted on each cleat, the links of one cleat being pivoted close together With their pivots in the same horizontal plane on one end of said body, the links of the other cleat being pivoted close together With their pivots in said plane on the other end of said body, the pivotal points of said links being farther apart on each cleat, the short links being disposed inside the long links and shaped to swing over and overlap the long links and rest on the rear edge of the body When said top is open, and the long links being disposed in position to hold the top in upright position.

Signed by me at Chicago, Illinois, this 10th day of December, 1915.

PARRY E. ENNIS.1

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing' the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

